Channel Nine commentary team open up about their most embarrassing moments on the mic

While the game of cricket has its difficulties, it takes an immense amount of talent, hard work and dedication for the players to go out and perform on the 22 yards. However, it’s not only the cricketers who make the gentleman’s game a delight to watch, but the commentators play an equally important role.

Can you imagine a cricket match without commentary? How boring would it be? Accurately, the voice of these gentlemen with the microphone helps you feel the atmosphere of the game and makes you feel like you are in the stands rooting for you heroes. It might seem like an easy task, but the commentators not always have a gala time out there.

Commentators do not enjoy the privilege of a second chance. Everything that they is aired live and cannot be taken back. News.com.au caught up with the members of the Channel Nine cricket commentary team at the Wide World of Sports Ashes launch at North Sydney Oval to talk about their most dreadful moments with the mike, the obstacles and much more.

MARK NICHOLAS:

“There was a game in the early days (2004) when we wrote New Zealand off in a run chase and they needed 13 an over and we were talking about the bonus point and the fact one day cricket was struggling and there weren’t enough close games. Then New Zealand turned it into a last ball game and won it. Three of us were summoned by Kerry Packer – me, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy and we sat in his office and he basically said, ‘The game’s not over til it’s over, son!’ I can’t use the language (Packer used) but it was no conversation. He got into us. He thought it was Heals and Heals said, ‘I wasn’t even there Kerry!’ He said, ‘You f***ing were!’ It was me! His point was, a very good point was, as a commercial network we’re selling the game of cricket and we’re selling ourselves. And if you announce something’s over before it’s over, some of your audience will turn off, particularly if you don’t know much about the game. And the fact is you were wrong, it was a phenomenal game and it went to the last ball. So what you do is you keep everything alive – fair point.”

MICHAEL SLATER:

“The big moment for me was the first time I commentated with Richie Benaud over in England back in 2000. I was so nervous because it was one of my first commentary stints and it was with the great man Richie Benaud and you’re on for half an hour and I was too nervous to say anything for the first 15 minutes. We probably had something like five million viewers but it wasn’t about how many people were listening or watching, it was because it was Richie. Eventually I started saying a few things towards the end of the stint because I thought, well, I’m here to talk about the game but what I didn’t realise is I was stepping on his earpiece that allows us to hear (producers and directors in) the truck and I was pulling his head to one side – it was a moulded earpiece and I didn’t realise. I was like, ‘Oh, this career’s over before it began’ so that comes to mind as a massive faux pas.”

IAN HEALY:

“My first game was in 1999 and I had the weather and ground report at the Gabba. I was up in the gantry, right up on the roof at the Gabba and I was nailing it – I nailed it! Then I had to throw back to Richie and it was the 40 year anniversary of Australia vs West Indies – the tied Test (in Brisbane, which Benaud played in). So I said, ‘Richie, there are the conditions for this match, it’s looking fantastic here. How do those conditions compare to that famous Test 60 years ago?’ And he just went, ‘We’ll be back after the break’ – he just left it. Then I put my head in the studio and I got back there and said, ‘Sorry Richie.’ He said, ‘How f***ing old do you think I am, Heals?’ That was good.”

BILL LAWRY:

“The fact that Richie wasn’t saying anything and Kerry (Packer) said, ‘Somebody bloody well talk!’ It wasn’t very difficult.

“We got to Sydney for an important game and Richie had invited Chappell and his friends out the night before and he was a little bit seedy. The first over comes and it’s, ‘Welcome to the Sydney Cricket Ground, England have won the toss and Australia are bowling.’ Ball one – nothing. Ball two – nothing. Ball three – nothing. Ball four – nothing. Then the phone at the back of the box rings and only one person (Packer) had that number. You didn’t need to have the phone in your hand. I can’t repeat what he said but he said, ‘This is commercial television. Eighty per cent of people out there can’t understand Test cricket – they haven’t got a bloody clue’ and it wasn’t ‘bloody’ he said either. Next ball – nothing. I thought, ‘Oh s***.’ There are two balls to go and the next ball someone hit a four and I said, ‘That’s the best four I’ve ever seen!’ And I haven’t stopped talking since.”

MARK TAYLOR:

Toughest challenge:

“When you first start and you’re commentating on your ex-teammates. Everyone says it’ll be hard and you think it won’t be, but it is. It’s a lot harder when you first start. Now I can commentate on guys who I respect and admire but they’re not my close mates, I haven’t played with them so I can feel free to be a little bit more liberal, be a little bit more critical, not that I’m trying to be critical but that’s the way it is sometimes. When it was Steve and Mark Waugh and Ian Healy and even Shane Warne who were still playing when I was commentating … it’s harder to be critical even though you know you’ve got to at times and you think, ‘Gee I hope it doesn’t get back to them.’ These days I don’t worry so much about it.”